Fall Fashion Trends
Fall Forward
August 14, 2008Samantha Cabrera’s committed eye takes a look into what you should wear for Fall ’08.
Typically, fall has a sense of gloominess. Gone are flirty sun dresses, now wardrobes are making room for wool suiting, shawls, and boots. This season, fall has a very different feeling with various hues and florals, making the cut for what’s hot. For those of us who live in black, it’s the perfect way to experiment without leaving our comfort zone (after all, what looks better with a plaid pencil skirt?). For those who have the Carrie Bradshaw-look down pat, feel free to mix patterns, colors and texture. Anything goes, so keep your eyes peeled for some serious fun this autumn.
- Wrap up in a cozy cardigan ($48, urbanoutfitters.com) and get more use out of summer’s little dresses when
worn with tights and boots. Neutrals like black, grey and navy are always appreciated, but look for other surprisingly easy-to-wear colors like mustard and rust.
- Fall is dressed up, and there’s no simpler way to do it than with a dress ($425, net-a-porter.com). Look for classic shapes. A nipped waist, slightly puffed sleeves and hemlines that skim the knee are work appropriate and have that understated sense of sexiness that most of us only dream of having.
- Plaid is one of the easiest ways to try out a pattern this fall. Throw a cropped plaid jacket ($24.80,
forever21.com) on over a tank and jeans for the transition season, and go very fashion-forward once the cold weather arrives by wearing a 3/4 sleeve version over a turtleneck with wide-leg pants. The look is definitely tough, so go soft elsewhere.
- Menswear-inspired pieces will take you a long way this season. A high waist pant is essential ($225,
shopbop.com), and details like an extra wide leg and pleats elevate the look. Wear with a chiffon blouse in a delicious fall color like raspberry to add a touch of femininity to your look.
- Printed skirts and dresses in dark floral prints ($69.50, express.com) are making the typically summer-associated motif a favorite for fall and winter. A dark background anchors the frou-frou oversized flowers, and wearing a piece with chunky heels balances the girly factor.
samantha-cabrera
The Seasonal Shift
August 2, 2008Fall’s arrival worries most fashion designers. The issue is not whether it will come but more a matter of when it will come. The doubt is stemming from recent seasons when change in whether refuse to come on time or it came too late to truly capitalize. In some regions the season came and went with a whimper. The winter season seemed more like fall and all the articles of clothing constructed for the seasons went unsold. Some designers attributed the lack of a defined seasonal weather change to the advent of global warming. Designers in New York were the most vocal in their complaints about sales being affected. The sales were down because of the exceptionally mild September and October months.
Some designers have decided to address the matter by creating collections that mirror the season. Those in search of the next in fashion for the season may be surprised to find that fall collections are only slightly modified versions of Spring/Summer items. The reason for this change is that designers have taken global warming into account and have adjusted their collections with that in mind. Heavier fabrics for fall are being replaced with items that can be worn in warm weather. Lighter colors are also part of the fashion landscape where at one point wearing white after Labor Day was fashion heresy.
Now white after Labor Day is part of the stylish uniform and there seems to be no end in sight. A visit to NYC fall fashion week this past February revealed even more in the way of the lighter colors free flowing fabrics and a silhouette reminiscent more of Spring. What trends can you look forward to this fall?
Equestrian Love: Get the riding boots out. The season calls for them and jodhpurs, beige pants (yes beige for Fall) with some cropped leather jackets. All that is missing is a pair of stirrups.
Velvet Means Soft: Look forward to wearing light velvet looks. Light and velvet tended to be mutually exclusive words but in the age of global warming they go hand in hand. Missoni went in that direction with great success.
Not Mini – Maxi, Skirt that is The Maxi skirt with a pair of slouchy boots held court during Chloe’s fall 2008 presentation and you’ll be hard pressed to miss this one for the season.
Pleats Please Don’t miss the memo, pleats in your skirts are la rage. They are fun, flirty and can take your fashion admirer’s breath away.
The Czars would be proud Russian inspired fashion for fall means that communism is worn away. The styles are filtering through albeit some twenty years later. Joanna Mastroianni hasn’t abandoned it completely and Donna Karan took Russian dolls and made them into life sized creations.
The weather may surprise us all and take a turn for something colder than expected, and fashion designers may be ready for that in future seasons. As of now, the Fall is looking like a cooler version of Spring, dress accordingly!
jess-stein
